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Friday, April 17, 2015

On Saturday April 11th, Chapman’s Food Science Program had
the pleasure of hosting an interactive educational experience for Girls Inc! High
school students from different regions were brought to Chapman University to
learn about Food Science thanks to the collaboration between FSNSA and Girls
Inc female leaders Christie Pearce, Amanda Perl and Cathleen Chase. The girls
were actively engaged in all aspects of the event all the way through an
information session on college admission. It was great to see how excited the
students were to learn about scientific principles behind ice cream, our taste
perception and making gummy balls! In addition, the girls that attended asked
insightful questions to gain a deeper understanding of the science as well as
the application process. I have no doubt these young women will become
successful professionals in any career they choose! Read more about the
specific demonstrations as well as thoughts by FSNSA members involved with the
workshops below!

To start us off, the organizer of the event, Dawn Kane, gave a very informative presentation about what food science is all about. A brief description of the many, wonderful fields of food science were described which sparked the interest of all the girls! After a short question and answer period, the girls were divided into four groups and were sent off to the various classrooms to get some hands on food science experience!

The demo led by Emma
Gottschall focused on sensory science. The girls were first asked to try two
samples of colored seltzer, one purple and one pink. Without any hints about
the flavors most girls believed the purple sample tasted like grape, while
there was a mixed consensus about the pink drink. The girls were surprised to
learn that the purple juice was actually strawberry-kiwi! While most
people assume that taste is the only impact on how we perceive flavor, the
girls learned that your expectations also have a huge impact on how a food
tastes. While some attributes like color or size can be controlled in sensory
testing, other factors cannot be controlled. Emma took the demonstration one
step further to help the girls understand the role of genetics in taste. Participants
were given PTC strips containing phenylthiocarbamide. When tasting PTC,
approximately 75% of the population perceive a highly bitter taste based on a
specific gene. The remainder of the
population perceive a slight bitter taste or none at all. Emma said “The girls
were extremely interested in learning about the science behind sensory testing
as well as what it’s like to be a taste tester. After all, who wouldn't love to
get paid to eat?!”

Another demo was led by Sabrina Davis and focused on
pigments from red cabbage! Sabrina said “The girls enjoyed seeing the changing
colors of cabbage extract, from purple to red and from red to blue!” Extracts
from the cabbage can be used as a pH indicator. The pigment that gives the
vegetable its color is called anthocyanin which undergoes a color change under
acidic and basic conditions. The demo showed the process of extraction of the
cabbage pigments, as well as the solutions that change its color!

In this demo Akanksha Jain is educating the girls on how
aliginate, a substance from algae, can be used to form gummies! In the photo
above, Logan Kane represents a “calcium ion” which is required for the alginate
to form a gel network and produce a gummy!

In another demo on Microbiology, led by Sophia Pollack, the girls got a chance to look at E.coli and Bacillus sp. which are two common causes of food borne Illness. They saw a penicillin slide and were told about the history of antibiotics and how penicillin was accodently discovered by Alexander Flemming, and they looked at Euglena, a common protist found in fresh and salt water (not pathogenic). Next the girls Learned the acronym FAT TOM to remember the requirements needed for growth of microbes. We finished up by a discussion on how to prevent microbial growth in food using hurdle technology and safe handling practices.

One of the tastiest demonstrations was led by Charles Quinto and focused on ice cream! Ice cream is considered an oil-in-water emulsion, which means that the product is made up of tiny particles of water distributed in oil. The oil is from the different fats present in the ice cream base from the milk component. Ice cream is also considered a foam as air is whipped into the ice cream causing an increase in volume. The process of whipping the ice cream base to increase volume is known as overrun. In the food industry, ice cream has a maximum allowed percentage of being 100% overrun – or allowing a twofold increase in volume. Large ice crystals in ice cream produce a texture that is icy and unpleasant when the expectation is a creamy product. To prevent the formation of large ice crystals, we used liquid nitrogen to rapidly freeze the ice cream base. This quick freezing action prevents large ice crystal formation and therefore produces a nice creamy ice cream! In the picture, Emma is carefully adding liquid nitrogen while whipping the ice cream base (dressed in proper protective equipment! Safety first!) while the girls get to decorate their ice cream with food coloring and sprinkles!

As the eventful day came to a close, the girls heard from a representative of Chapman to learn about the application process, majors offered and how
standardized testing scores are used. After learning about what it takes to get
into Chapman, the girls were given a tour around campus before heading back
home with newfound knowledge in Food Science!

It was also great to see that a current FSNSA volunteer,
Katrina Jully, could personally relate to Girls Inc. Katrina said “I had the
opportunity to be a part of Girls Inc back when I was in middle school. So for
me to be a part of it again, but as a “team leader,” was a wonderful way to
complete the circle. I am so glad to see that Girls Inc has grown over the
years and continues to be a wonderful organization that supports the
development of girls into strong, bold, and confident women.”

It was a great event and we look forward to continuing the
tradition of educating young minds! If you want to know more about the
chemistry behind these experiments, or just food science in general, follow our
blog, e-mail the Food Science Program Assistant Sonja Montiel (smontiel@chapman.edu), or join the Food
Science and Student Nutrition Association (FSNSA)!

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Chapman University’s Food Science Graduate Program hosted
its 4th Annual Food Industry Networking night on April 1, 2015. This year’s event, co-hosted by first year
students Emma Gottschall and Alex Hoang,
saw over 110 food industry professionals, alumni and current students exchange
ideas, reconnect with professors and colleagues, and, of course swap business
cards! Year after year, this event proves to
be a great opportunity to discover industry trends and hiring needs, as well as
to celebrate the talented MS and MS/ MBA food scientists studying here at
Chapman University.

This year, we welcomed alumna Iris
Galanis Eshoo (M.S. ’97), Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance
at See's Candy, and Rob Neenan, President of the California League of Food
Processors (CLFP) as our Keynote Speakers. Graduate student Tushar Sawant
mentioned, “The networking night at Chapman helped me gain valuable insights
and helped me connect with important people within the food industry.” Another
graduate student, Adam Perestam, stated “Networking night was an invaluable
experience that provided the unique chance to meet a wide range of industry
professionals to discuss career opportunities, something that couldn’t be
replicated anywhere else.” Overall, our students left the event feeling they
had gained something valuable for their futures.

See below for snapshots of the night:

Rob Neenan spoke about the status of the California food industry.

Iris Galanis Eshoo shared her career experiences and imparted professional advice to attendees.

A glimpse of the bustling interactions among students, alumni, and professionals alike.

Many alumni and faculty were able to reconnect after months and years of not seeing one another!

The Food Science program was started 36 years ago to meet the demand of the significant growth of the food industry in southern California. The program quickly gained a reputation for well qualified food scientists. Program Chair, Dr. Anuradha Prakash stated that “Chapman continues to maintain a reputation of excellence where companies remain confident to hire Chapman graduates.” The turnout of companies represented at the Food Industry Networking Night is a testimony to the high quality of our program and the talent of our students. Thank you to everyone who made the event a success!